Spider Solitaire FAQ

Spider Solitaire is a single-player card game played with two standard 52-card decks (104 cards). You deal ten tableau columns, build descending sequences on the tableau regardless of suit, and drag same-suit runs around as a group. Assembling a complete King-to-Ace run in a single suit clears it automatically; clearing all eight runs wins the game.

Yes. spidersolitaireonline.app is completely free and runs entirely in your browser. There is nothing to buy, download, or install, and there are no interruptive video ads, premium tiers, or paywalls. Open the page and a game is already dealt.

No. The game is the website — a 100% browser-based build with no app store download and no sign-up. Your stats are saved locally in your browser, so there is no login to manage.

Spider is a two-deck evolution of classic patience games, taking its name from the eight runs it asks you to spin like a spider's eight legs. It became broadly popular after Microsoft bundled it with Windows in the late 1990s (Windows Me and later Windows XP's Plus! pack), introducing millions of players to its deeper, suit-aware building rules.

It is the same game — two decks, ten columns, same-suit runs, 1/2/4-suit difficulty — with the same core rules and scoring. This build adds unlimited undo, a hint that points to a useful move, synthesized sound, and a layout that works on phones.

Deal 54 cards into ten columns (six in the first four, five in the rest, top card face up) and keep the other 50 as the stock. On the tableau, place any card on one that is one rank higher, any suit. Only a face-up, same-suit, strictly descending run can move as a group — a single card can always move alone. Deal a new row of ten from the stock (one per column) whenever no column is empty. A completed King-to-Ace run in one suit clears itself. Win by clearing all eight runs.

The number of suits sets the difficulty. 1 suit uses only spades across both decks, so any legal rank placement is automatically the right suit — the friendliest mode. 2 suits (spades and hearts) forces real suit decisions. 4 suits uses the full deck and is the traditional, hardest version, since keeping a column in one suit takes real planning. This version keeps stats separately for each.

Score starts at 500. Each move — placing a card or run, or dealing a new row from the stock — costs 1 point. Completing a King-to-Ace run in one suit pays back 100 points. The score never falls below zero. Time and move count are tracked separately so you can chase a fast win or a low-move win.

Any time, as long as every tableau column has at least one card in it. If any column is empty, the deal is blocked until you fill it (or deliberately keep it empty and work around it) — this is one of the most common places new players get stuck.

Drag a card or a same-suit run to its destination column, or tap once to pick it up and tap the target column to drop it. Double-click (or double-tap) sends a run to the best open column automatically. On the keyboard, Space deals a new row, U undoes, H shows a hint, N deals a new game, and M toggles sound.

No. Only a face-up run that is already strictly descending and entirely one suit can be dragged as a group. A stack that is in rank order but mixes suits looks tidy but has to be moved one card at a time — this is the single most common source of confusion for players new to Spider.

The moment a King-to-Ace sequence in a single suit sits together at the front of a column, it is automatically cleared from the tableau — there is nothing to drag it to. Your completed-run count ticks up, you gain 100 points, and any card it exposed underneath turns face up.

No. Especially at 4 suits, some deals cannot be completed no matter how well you play, and you cannot always tell in advance. Win rates drop sharply as suit count rises: 1 suit is comfortably winnable most of the time with careful play, 2 suits is a real step down, and 4 suits is won only a modest share of the time even by strong players. If you get stuck, deal a new game.

Prioritise moves that reveal a face-down card over moves that merely tidy a run. Try to build each column in a single suit so runs travel together, and work deliberately toward emptying at least one column — it is the most powerful tool you have for resequencing a stuck tableau. Deal from the stock only once the visible board is truly out of moves, and use unlimited undo to test a resequencing before you commit.

Scan the ten columns before touching the stock. Look for any move that flips a face-down card, and prefer one that also keeps two cards in the same suit together. Only deal a new row once the tableau genuinely offers nothing productive.

The current streak counts consecutive wins at one suit count. Dealing a new game before winning the current one, or losing a game because no useful moves remain, resets that difficulty's current streak to zero. Your longest streak is kept as a separate best.

Your best score, best time, best move count, games played, and win streak are saved locally in your browser for 1, 2, and 4 suits separately. Nothing is sent to a server and there is no account. Because the save lives on the device, a different phone, a new browser profile, or cleared site data looks like a fresh start. A game in progress is not saved if you close the tab.

Yes. The layout is built for touch and scales all ten tableau columns to fit a phone screen: tap a card to pick it up and tap a column to drop it, or drag directly. Dealing a new game is instant with no page reload.

The game needs a connection to load the page the first time. After that, some browsers may keep the tab playable without a network, but there is no dedicated offline app or installer.

Open Stats from the game menu and use Reset progress, then confirm with the second tap. That clears best score, best time, best moves, games played, and streaks for 1, 2, and 4 suits on this browser. It cannot be undone.

Any current browser with JavaScript: Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari on desktop, plus their mobile versions. If cards do not respond, update the browser, allow scripts for this site, and reload.